Professor, Please!
by cirno9zero
Summary: Whilst Byleth is undoubtedly a master of the battlefield and a good teacher for his various students, his upbringing has left him without certain social graces and etiquette. After being appointed as a professor, his lack of knowledge becomes quite evident to the various inhabitants of Garreg Mach monastery.
1. Professor, please get out of the pond!

"P-Professor, what is the meaning of this?"

Edelgard had been exposed to a certain amount of oddities ever since enrolling at the Officers Academy, through both the people within her own house and the variety of characters that inhabited Garreg Mach Monastery. The person that undoubtedly took the cake in that regard, however, was her esteemed professor.

Make no mistake, she thought the world of him – his battle prowess was unrivaled, his mind was as sharp as a tack, and his ability to listen to others were all things that proved he was overwhelmingly qualified for his position. Setting all of those qualities aside however, she couldn't deny that her professor was…odd. Whether it was from apparently living around mercenaries for most of his life or other means, from what she could tell he didn't exactly understand certain bits of common social etiquette. He certainly was polite in his speech and had decent eating manners, but sometimes he would get just a little too close when talking and demonstrating things, or even the way that he showered particular students with gifts without any prompting whatsoever.

And yet despite all of those oddities, Edelgard honestly couldn't have expected stumbling across her professor in such an…_interesting _state.

Byleth's dull blue eyes blinked slowly as he regarded the Black Eagles leader, making no move to shut them despite the deep orange of the sun washing gently over his face.

"The meaning of what, exactly?" He responded, looking up at Edelgard with a completely blank face. Trying to see past that façade was akin to pulling teeth, and thus it was something she had long since given up on trying to achieve.

"Why are you floating in the monastery's pond?!" Edelgard couldn't help that her voice jumped a few octaves as she questioned her professor, attracting the attention of a few monks on the way back to their quarters. One of them got up on their tip-toes to see what the angry princess was addressing, and moments later made a noise and ducked down, her pace increasing as she shuffled out of sight. The small congregation followed with a few chuckles, and then they were alone in the midst of the darkening sky.

Byleth shifted his position from floating on his back and waded over to the dock, resting both of his arms against the wooden surface as he addressed Edelgard.

"I enjoy swimming after a long day, and this is the closest body of water." His tone was as blank as his face when he answered her, looking up and brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes.

Did he _really_ not see the issue here!?

"Professor, please…you need to get out of the pond. It isn't proper for you to be swimming in there, especially due to your position! People have been staring, and not to mention that you could catch a cold!"

"I didn't see any rules prohibiting my actions. Besides, I can catch dinner this way as well." Without missing a beat, one of his hands moved off of the wood and flashed underwater, and a moment later it came out with a medium-sizedfish in its grasp. Before it even had a moment to struggle, he squeezed, and the fish ceased it's movements.

Edelgard felt her eye twitch. Byleth blinked lazily in response. A few moments passed between the two before Byleth broke the silence, tossing the fish onto the dock with a large thump. Edelgard inhaled and stepped back a few paces, eyeing the offending object as if she were intending to kick it right back into the water. Her professor braced his arms against the dock and pulled himself up with minimal effort, getting to his feet without pause.

It occurred to Edelgard that she had never seen Byleth without his armor before – if she didn't know better, she would have assumed that it must have been grafted to his skin. Whether he was teaching, eating, going into town, or even sleeping (she had caught him napping once, and then never again), it always was present, and he seemed to have no issues with that.

At the current moment, though, it was nowhere to be seen.

The sun behind her reflected off the droplets of water still clinging to Byleth, some of them bouncing off his form as he bent to wring out the trousers that he was wearing. She idly noted that they looked like those that belonged to the regular school uniform, only cut off at the knee. Another note that she wished she _hadn't_ taken was that her professor was…well, incredibly easy on the eyes without his armor. From the way there seemed to be no excess fat on his body to the way his toned muscles flexed as he righted his posture to look at her, it was certainly an image to behold.

Edelgard shook her head as soon as she felt warmth rise to her cheeks, masking the color by pinching the bridge of her nose as she glared up at him.

"Get dressed before more people come, and then go back to your room." In her state of current indignation and slight embarrassment, she chose to not apologize for commanding her teacher, and instead fixed him with a harder glare. Byleth, as frustrating as he could be, looked down at her with a look of slight confusion.

"I didn't bring any clothes with me."

"…e-excuse me?"

She glanced around, and it would seem that he was being entirely truthful – his familiar armor or an extra change of clothes were nowhere to be seen.

"You…walked here like this?" She asked, already knowing and dreading the answer that she would receive.

"Yes. I saw no problem with doing so."

Without another word, Edelgard brought a hand up to unclip the red cape on her shoulder, and immediately moved forward to loop the article around his shoulders.

"I can't believe you, professor…just…go get dressed?" Her voice was exasperated as she stepped away from Byleth – did he seriously not consider the fact that this was improper in any way? What if the staff at the monastery saw this, or god forbid one of her classmates!? She doubted that Dorothea would let him hear the end of it, and even more so _she _wouldn't because she was the one who found him!

Edelgard glanced around the area to make sure no one was observing them. She figured Hubert was around somewhere (he always was), but other than that she couldn't detect anyone. She sighed and directed her attention back to her teacher.

The man in question was looking down at her, having adjusted her cape so that it covered more of himself – a silent stare down ensued between them before he shrugged his shoulders and bent down to pick up the fish.

"No, don't take the fish. Go." The irony of her issuing orders to him was not lost on her, but at this point she just wanted this whole encounter to end – she could easily walk away from him, but Edelgard wouldn't put it past him to just get back into the water. Also, the idea of people needling him about his state of attire wasn't something that sat right with her, despite the utter ridiculousness of the situation.

"Aren't I supposed to be the teacher here?" Edelgard felt a stutter of fear at the monotone words from her teacher – had she overstepped her bounds? After observing him for a moment, however, the slight quirk of his lips (it didn't even qualify as a smile, honestly) alerted her to the fact that he was attempting to tell a joke. She felt her nerves settle as Byleth moved past her and towards the dormitories, exchanging goodbyes as he did. She couldn't help but watch him as he walked away, trying to delude herself into thinking she wasn't studying the strip of his back that was still visible as he walked up the stairs.

"That was…exasperating." She said aloud, glancing around just to make sure no one was still there. When she was satisfied that no one was spying, she tried to shake her head to clear the blush from her cheeks, beginning to walk towards her own dorm room.

Oh wait, she had forgotten something.

She kicked the dead fish back into the water.

* * *

**Hello! This is my first fanfiction in many years, and the first time I've published something online in quite a long while. I hope that this was somewhat good, and I hope it was at least somewhat in character! I intend to keep up with this for quite a bit, so feel free to either PM or review suggestions for this concept if you'd like to. Hope you enjoyed, and have a good day!**


	2. Professor, please get out of that tree!

"Looks like the coast is clear…"

Bernadetta moved out of the tent as quietly as she could, head darting around to observe her surroundings like a scared rabbit. The chill of the air brushed harshly against her exposed hands and face, the darkened sky weighing heavily on her conscience. After all, who knows what could happen out here? More bandits, or a wayward assassin coming to claim her life? Her body shook as she regarded the thought, but some things were just worth the risk! Mainly the fact that she was incredibly hungry, and she didn't exactly have a lot to eat at dinner.

Why was she in such an odd circumstance, you question? Professor Byleth had apparently talked to the archbishop about training the Black Eagles to be able to camp in the wilderness as a survival lesson, and as far as she knew, Lady Rhea had agreed wholeheartedly. And that was how the Black Eagles had found themselves in a relatively good-looking forest glade, although it hadn't been without strife. Some bandits had been looking for an easy catch but were dispatched thoroughly by the professor before any harm could be caused.

Bernadetta found herself shivering again as she skulked towards the dying embers of the campfire (she could have sworn it had gone out before she finally forced herself to sleep), raising a hand to summon forth a mote of light so she could at least make her way around. It never really sunk in just how ruthless her teacher could be – despite being relatively kind to everyone at the monastery (the number of flowers that sat in her room was evidence of that), it was like a switch was flipped as soon as combat began. His face always remained blank regardless, but there was a certain absence of emotion behind it that chilled her to her core.

"Is that why they call him the Ashen Demon…?" She murmured to herself as she located the cast iron pot that still had a healthy amount of stew in it, fetching a bowl and slowly beginning to spoon some into the bowl. She had heard that title in passing whilst walking by the knight's hall during one of her rare excursions from her sanctuary, and ever since she hadn't really been able to _stop _thinking about it.

Well, whatever – she just wanted to get back to her tent before any of her classmates happened to hear her. Whilst she could say she was slowly beginning to feel more comfortable around them, it really wasn't enough to say that she was enjoying this overall experience. It was better than being forced out into the monastery every day, but…

"I have heard the title in regard to myself before, yes." A sudden voice broke the silence like a hammer, and Bernadetta felt her entire body seize in panic as the wooden bowl fell from her hands. A scream started to bubble up in her throat, and she only just managed to stifle it before it surged out and woke up the entire camp.

_C-Calm down, Bernie! You recognize this voice…i-it's not like you were thinking about how scary he is, or anything!_

"P-Professor?" Her voice came out wheezy as she fought down the beginnings of hyperventilation, rapidly swinging her hand around to try and illuminate the area. He was nowhere to be found, and that made more panic pulse through her body – was that really him? Was it a ghost? A bandit who's really good at voice impersonations!?

"Up here." Byleth's voice was heard again, and this time she could tell that it was coming from above her rather than around her. She placed her free hand over her heart to try and calm it's rapid and harsh beating, raising the light in her hand above her head and looking up.

Surely enough, she recognized the familiar face of her professor nestled up in one of the thick tree branches, back braced against the trunk and arms folded as he observed her. He didn't look like he was tired whatsoever, even though he had excused himself far before any of the others had gone to sleep. She had even seen him go back inside his tent! Although he could have came out when everyone else had gone to sleep…

"U-Um…why? You scared me…" Berndetta asked, reigning in her panic so she could make even the slightest semblance of an attempt to figure out exactly what was going on. A memory surfaced in her mind – a few of the students talking about Lady Edelgard talking with a soaking wet, shirtless professor by the dock. Could he potentially just…like going in strange places, like ponds and trees?

"I'm keeping watch." His reply was simple and short as always, although his voice was a bit more hushed than usual. It was surprisingly easy to hear him, although it was silent enough that she could probably have heard a pin drop over in the bushes. She shook her head as she crouched down to pick up the bowl, it's delicious contents now spread over the damp grass. She sighed, knowing her luck it would probably lead wild animals to the campsite, ruining everything and making them need to pack up and go somewhere else.

_Good job, Bernie…_

"For, um…what, exactly?" Bernadetta could think of several things to watch for – bandits, carnivores, demonic beasts, the whole lot of them! The forests of Fodlan weren't exactly safe, and it really was a testament to her professor's ability that the archbishop would even allow such a field trip to take place. He was strangely well-versed in so many fields that it was…well, a bit crazy. Great with bladed weapons, bows, magic…Bernadetta didn't think she'd be on her way to an Archer certification without his help, to be entirely truthful. Heck, he even helped her learn a miniscule amount of magic!

"Anything dangerous. I had forgotten about everything that the forests can hold." Maybe it was a trick of the dim light, but she thought she saw his face slacken a bit, his blank façade breaking into a slight frown. "I will not allow them to harm any of you."

"But…y-you can't stay up there every night, can you?" Berndetta wasn't quite sure why she hadn't turned around and gone straight back to her tent, the soup be damned! It was probably because of the knot of concern slowly growing in her stomach, or maybe the fact that her teacher had a certain way about him that made her feel comfortable talking. She was reminded of Caspar joking with Dorothea that the professor had gotten her to warm up to him in a day, whilst it took them a month.

"I can and will. Your safety is paramount, and I will not allow a lapse of judgement on my part to encroach upon that." The lapse of his expression was gone, and yet his voice had a resolution that Bernadetta couldn't recall hearing from him before. Come to think of it, she was certain she hadn't even heard him _talk_ this much before!

"Your health is i-important too, you know…" She chose to ignore that she wasn't exactly the healthiest person in the group, and instead looked up at him with a worried expression. "What if you just…I don't know, got too tired and fell out of the tree?"

"I have experience in staying up for long periods of time without rest." His reply was quick, too quick, and she couldn't help but suspect that he might have had this exact conversation before with someone. Was the life of a mercenary really that harsh, or did her professor push himself that much? She couldn't help but feel that worry in her stomach expand. That basically _confirmed_ that he hadn't gone to sleep when everyone thought he had, darn it!

"Professor, please c-come down from there?" She clasped her hands together and looked up at him, hoping that she was accurately conveying just how much his health was just as important as the group's safety. Curse her professor, making her actually worry about him! Things were a lot better in her room. "I don't think anything e-else will come tonight."

"There's no way to be cert-"

"There's no way to tell if anything won't come, either!" She raised her voice suddenly, and immediately felt her heart speed up and her mouth go dry. She just raised her voice at her teacher, and he might be mad at her and he might dock her grades or yell at he-

"I don't believe I've seen you this worried before, Bernadetta." She froze as he responded, and she fought with every bit of her being to not scamper off back to her tent. He didn't sound mad, but he always sounded like that – it's like his tone of voice was incapable of going above or below monotone! It was maddening! "Fine."

"H-Huh?"

Byleth didn't respond to her – instead, he moved away from the tree trunk and rolled his shoulders, shimmying across the tree branch as he did so. When he was satisfied with the distance, he grasped the branch tightly and swung a leg over, scaring Bernadetta because he was now _hanging from the tree branch!_ It was kind of high up! And as if it were the most normal thing in the world, he let go and dropped to the ground, expelling a rough grunt as he hit the ground. He then stood up and turned around to look at her, the light in her hand reflecting off of his armor.

"I'm down."

"I-I can see that…"

"You should get to bed, Bernadetta. Tomorrow will require your full attention." He continued, stooping over to pick up the stew pot and pouring some of it into a bowl. Before she even got a chance to respond, he pressed the bowl into her free hand. "Eat up, and then sleep."

She gauged his expression as best she could with the dim light and the bout of nerves affecting her vision, but she eventually sighed and nodded, allowing the light to flicker out and grasping the bowl with both hands. To her surprise, the stew within was now warm. She looked back towards Byleth, and she could have sworn she saw a light flicker away from where she thought his hand was.

She couldn't help but smile at that.

"O-Okay, professor…good night." She turned around and admittedly had to use her magic once more to navigate through the campsite without tripping, but sooner or later she found her tent and disappeared within it.

Byleth spent a few seconds staring at her tent, allowing a rare chuckle to come forth as he moved back towards the tree, instead choosing to slump against the base rather than climb back up.

"You aren't going to sleep?" The voice of a certain green-haired girl asked him when he was settled in.

"She asked me to get out of the tree, and so I did."

He gave a final chuckle before focusing his senses on the area around him.

No harm would fall to his students this night.

* * *

**Bernadetta's the best Black Eagles girl, and them's just the facts.**

**Thank you everyone for all of the nice reviews and the favorites and follows! This is extremely fun to write, so I guess I'm just gonna keep doing that, huh? Also, in regards to the review by Lord Destroyer, I actually hadn't read any of Waywatcher's stories until you made that review! We definitely have a similar concept going, and I'll try to differentiate between our versions of Byleth as best I can. I definitely like the idea of him going through windows, though...**

**Anywho, thank you very much for reading - I hope it was somewhat good, and I hope it was at least somewhat in character! Please leave a review if you liked it, and feel free to drop suggestions for scenarios in there as well!**

**Have a great day.**


	3. Professor, please don't say such things!

"I am surprised that you remembered my favorite tea, professor!"

Mercedes giggled aloud as the man in question's eyes darted up from the parchment in his hands, leaning back and setting it down on the already cluttered table after a few moments. A few hours earlier, Byleth had asked her if she would accompany him to tea, and she had agreed with the condition that he would provide help with a certain spell she was trying to learn.

The road to being a Priest was a hard one for certain!

"I have a good memory." He responded, taking his cup of tea and raising it to his lips. Mercedes couldn't help but find the scene just a little odd – such an ornate tea cup didn't look like it belonged in the professor's hands, yet he sipped from it with noble precision. It puzzled her how he could know certain mannerisms and enact them perfectly, yet often seemed to be in the dark when it came to social interactions. It was at least something interesting to watch, especially when he happened to confuse some of her peers! Another giggle escaped her.

"I cannot disagree with that, considering how you seem to know just what all of us like! Even though I am not in your house, you still know exactly what makes me happy and how to cheer me up!" Mercedes's smile and voice could only be described as radiant, taking a sip from her own cup. The blend of Southern fruits was an acquired taste to some, ironically because of the fruitiness of the mix itself, but she had developed a liking to it ever since she had first tasted it. "It's incredibly impressive!"

Byleth nodded to himself as a comfortable silence fell between them, occasionally broken by Byleth pointing out different areas to focus on when casting, and Mercedes hastily scribbling down his findings as neatly as she could. She was grateful for the fact that he enunciated each word, making him infinitely easier to understand compared to professor Hanneman, who often would ramble through his lectures. This often caused some, namely herself and Annette, to occasionally have half finished notes. It made the study of magic quite easier!

Everything was going exceedingly well, and then her professor opened his mouth and broke the silence.

"I believe it's because I love you." He said the words unflinchingly, as if reciting the weather. No color came to his cheeks, he appeared to be as calm as he always was, and he didn't even look up at her as he said it.

…

"H-Huh?" Mercedes found herself stuttering, a rare occasion in itself, as she forced herself not to drop her teacup. She was staring at Byleth with wide eyes, and if anyone were to have seen them, they most likely would have compared it to a fish. She coughed suddenly, trying to gather up _some _semblance of composure – just who exactly dropped those words without any form of build up!?

"E-Erm, forgive me professor, but…did I hear you right?" Her face had begun to flush as she observed her professor, her mind slipping away from the spell she was attempting to practice. It wasn't like she _minded_ hearing the confession, but…wasn't it just too early for that sort of thing? M-Maybe after she knew him for longer, perhaps? She was a year older than him, if memory served her correct…gosh, this was just so unexpected! She found herself hiding her face behind her hands.

"I believe so." Mercedes wondered if his voice could even stray from that dull tone, but that in itself was a clue as to what she thought was _really _going on. She figured that even someone like the professor would bear _some_ hint of emotion when saying those words, considering the impact that they had! She coughed into her hand again, straightening her posture and trying to force away some of the heat in her face by pure will.

"I-If that's the case, what do you love about me?" Her suspicions were confirmed further when he set down his cup and looked at her, no change to his blank expression. He opened his mouth to respond.

"I wish to protect you. I wish to help you grow. I wish to keep you safe from harm. Is that not what love is?" Mercedes felt herself sag in relief, forcing herself to giggle in an attempt to dispel the strange tension that had fallen over the air.

"Perhaps in a manner, yes. How do you feel about Edelgard, in that case?"

"I love her as well."

This time her laugh was genuine – the professor had a silly side to him, it seemed! It wasn't as if it was an _invalid_ view on what love is, but it still gave her a sudden fright! Either way, that isn't something he should be saying to or about students, especially considering Edelgard was four years younger than him (if rumors were to be believed)! It wasn't as though age gaps weren't uncommon in the world, but still…she figured it would at least save him some embarrassment later on.

"Professor…you shouldn't say such things so casually." Mercedes took a sip of her tea and was rewarded by a miniscule tilting of her professor's head. She supposed he wanted her to explain further. "Whilst those are admirable views that you have, you might just confuse someone who doesn't know better!"

"How so?"

Oh, this innocent man.

"Well, when most people hear that phrase, they would assume that you held romantic feelings towards them, rather than protective feelings. You…_do_ know what I mean, correct?" Mercedes never thought she would have to clarify that fact with someone, but this was a situation that was definitely out of the ordinary!

Byleth took a few moments to mull over these words, raising a hand to his chin as the gears turned in his head. A second later, Mercedes could have gasped for an entirely different reason – her teacher's eyes widened a fraction! It was no exaggeration to say that she had never seen his face show emotion before, and as soon as she blinked, it had resumed it's fully neutral state. She'd have to tell Annette!

"I see. I…apologize if I caused a misunderstanding between us, Mercedes. You're a beautiful woman, but…romance is not at the forefront of my mind currently. Please forgive me."

"Oh, don't be silly, professor! While you did surprise me, I had suspicions that there was a misunderstanding. Please don't worry yourself about it!" She leaned forward to refill her tea cup, being careful to not spill any on the incredibly complex paperwork. They had been at it for quite a while, and it would be a pain to have to backtrack through everything! As well as that, she felt a little happy at her professor's words – even she liked hearing compliments of that nature! "Just…please be careful about saying that, okay? I wouldn't want you to get in any trouble, especially if you happened to say it to the wrong person!"

She could think of a few people who he shouldn't say that to at the monastery. Flayn was at the top of that list – the thought of Seteth's fury was truly chilling.

"I understand. Thank you for correcting my behavior, Mercedes. Shall we move back to your studies?"

"I believe I would like that, professor."

The afternoon from there on passed in peace – with the gentle warmth of the sun over them and the coolness of the gentle summer's breeze, they found the rest of their studying to be a productive venture.

* * *

**Mercedes is the best girl in general, and them's also the facts. She's just so nice, who wouldn't like someone like that?**

**Thank you for all of the kind reviews! I'll say once again, and for the final time, that I hope I'm able to differentiate this story from Waywatcher's. I'm not looking to infringe on anything that they have going on, I'm just writing stuff I come up with at three in the morning because I have nothing else to do!**

**Putting that aside, I hope that you enjoyed reading this, and I hope that it was somewhat in character! I find it pretty easy to bust out these short, mostly unconnected drabbles every day, so I hope I can maintain a decent update schedule. I might not be updating tomorrow, though, as it's my birthday! **

**Thank you very much for reading, and leave a review if it strikes your fancy. Have a wonderful day!**


	4. Professor, please don't blame yourself!

"O-Oh, hey there, professor! Didn't expect for you to come visit me."

The golden rays of the fading sun filtered through the window, casting wispy shadows throughout Caspar's bedroom. The boy in question was propped against his headboard in a sitting position, cocky grin ever-present even despite the bandages wrapped around his midsection and arm. His professor stood as still as could be, almost statuesque in posture. It was a bit of a surprise to Caspar, as while most of the class had come in to either give him well-wishes or chastise him for his error in combat, the professor had been absent throughout all of it.

"Good evening, Caspar." Byleth spoke with his blank tone, crossing his arms, and then uncrossing them just as fast. Caspar would have laughed if it weren't for the serious expression on his face – although admittedly, the professor's face was _always _serious. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yep! Well, not really, but we're getting there! Looks like healing magic has its limits, huh?" The blue haired boy forced a chuckle as he tried to shift positions, a twinge of pain flaring through his broken arm and ribs. From how Linhardt tried to explain it to him, it sounded like the process would be a lot faster, but it couldn't heal broken bones instantly.

To be honest, that _sucked!_ He felt so confined in this bed, he just wanted to get free and let lose! His eyes flashed down to his bruised fists, and the small scars across his fingers and knuckles. Merits of his training – training that was being halted by silly things such as physical limitations! Before he could think about it further, the professor cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I came to apologize for my negligence." Caspar's eyes widened, and he had to stop himself from reaching out. What the hell was the professor talking about? Judging by the way his eyes lingered on Caspar's cast, he was able to figure that out immediately.

"Professor, you didn't do anything wrong! It was my fault that the dude got me – not yours!"

"As your teacher, I should have the battlefield under constant surveillance. I should know where you are, and where the enemies are. This ensures the best tactical advantage, and not only that, but the safety of all of you."

Caspar went to speak, but Byleth shot him a dark look that made him shut right up. He also noted that the professor had not included himself in that end part, making a frown come over Caspar's face.

"To add to this, if I were a better teacher, I would have been able to instruct you on ways to counter that strike before it had happened. It sometimes slips my mind that you are not more experienced, and that is a failing on my behalf, not yours."

Byleth reached into a bag that Caspar hadn't noticed was at his side and began to rifle around in it for something. Caspar gulped as he considered the man's words – in fact, he would go to say that he had never heard the professor talk this much before. Caspar wasn't the most observant of people, but even he was able to spot a tightness to Byleth's jaw that hadn't been there earlier in the day.

"Hey, that's what training is for, huh?" He tried to divert the subject a bit, gesturing with his free arm despite the pain it caused his ribs. "When I heal up, you best believe I'll be out there, putting in 120%! I'm not gonna get hit like that again! You gotta realize, professor, you're a great teacher—I wouldn't be nearly as good if you weren't the one teaching! Although, I bet I could get preeeeetty damn close."

Caspar was hoping that the grin across his face would make some crack in the professor's stony expression, but alas, it was a wasted effort. He didn't know what he expected, really – not even Dorothea could knock him off guard!

After a few more seconds of digging, Byleth pulled out what appeared to be a pair of gauntlets, ones that looked far, far more expensive than the pair resting on Caspar's desk on the other side of the room. His eyes immediately lit up, and he went forward to snatch them from Byleth's hands, and yet his ribs caused him to yelp in pain at the action. Reluctantly, he returned to his sitting position, and looked back up at Byleth.

_Huh, did I see his face twitch just now? Must have been my imagination._

"These aren't for now; these are for when you recover. In the meantime, I will be focusing on improving myself so I can be a better teacher to you. You are a very talented student, and I wish to be at my best in order to help you grow successfully…and to prevent this from ever happening again." Byleth walked forward and set them on Caspar's bedside table, being sure to put them just a little bit out of his reach.

Curses!

"Ugh, can't I at least hold them? I have a free arm!" He went to wave it again to make a point, but Byleth's hand flashed out to stop him, clasping around his wrist.

"No, Caspar. Get better soon."

Byleth bowed his head towards the boy, removing his hand from Caspar's wrist and going to exit the room, but not before turning around for one last thing.

"…did you just pat my head, professor?"

"I was told that this was an appropriate gesture for an injured child."

"You can't be THAT much older than me—wait, how old are you?"

"That's a secret."

As the glow of late afternoon faded into the inky darkness of night, Caspar found himself puzzled as laid in his bed. It had been an interesting challenge maneuvering himself onto his back, but after one of the nurses gave him some assistance when they stopped by to give him food, he was left listening to the chirping of birds and distant conversation that drifted in from his open window.

"Uuuuuugh, where's Linhardt?"

He couldn't help but say this aloud, bored out of his mind. The green haired boy had popped in some time ago, leaving just as quickly but promising that he'd be back later. Caspar had begged him to use additional healing magic, but the boy had quietly told him that it wouldn't make the bones fix themselves quicker – it was only useful for cuts and exhaustion, which infuriated Caspar endlessly.

Caspar was brought out of his silent anger towards his best friend by a short scream from somewhere outside in the monastery, making him flinch and groan when his ribs and arm protested the action. He wanted to surge up from the bed and rush towards the scene, but he knew he wouldn't be able to make it far at all, making him silently seethe as his wounded body taunted him. Instead, he shut his eyes and tried to do something Linhardt joked about his inability to do – he attempted to listen.

_Other than the chirping of birds, it's silent now. Was there a prank? An accident? I couldn't even tell who was screaming…ah, there's footsteps in the distance. Maybe someone's going to check it out? Whew, that's good – I wouldn't be able to make it out of here like this! Damnit, body, heal faster! I'm sick of this already!_

After resigning himself to his fate, he realized that his friend probably wouldn't show up again with how late it had become, and therefore leaned back into his pillow and awaited the dark clutches of sleep to pull him into its arms. However, this was denied to him by the sound of a distant, heavy door slamming shut, and the voice of one of his classmates calling out.

"H-Help! I need a healer! A professor's been hurt! Someone, please get a teacher, or anybody!"

It took a monumental amount of effort for Caspar to not fling himself out of bed, and through his door.

_A teacher is hurt? What the hell could have happened?!_

**Well, hey there guys! It's been a hot minute, huh? Turns out that the college semester is mighty taxing, and it's kicking my goddamn ass. Thankfully, we've moved past the second one, and I'm now on the third – and it's safe to say that it's not as bad as the first one.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and you can expect new ones from me in the future! We had some waifus in the first few chapters, so I figured I should spice things up with good ol' Caspar – silly boy, getting his bones broken. We love him.**

**With that in mind, I hope you all have a great day!**


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